惨事|さんじsanji[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noundisaster; tragedy; tragic incident; horrible accident
   その大惨事だいさんじで生き残いきのこった乗客じょうきゃくはほとんどいなかった。↗

   Few passengers survived the catastrophe.

• Synonym悲劇ひげきNeutralTragedy as a drama or an unfortunate event; 「惨事」 stresses how gruesome and heartbreaking the event is.
• Synonym惨劇さんげきNeutralA tragic event or tragic drama, close to 「惨事」 but with a more theatrical, drama-like sense of horror.
• Synonym惨禍さんかWrittenWritten word for grievous calamity, as in 「戦争の惨禍」; 「惨事」 leans toward a single event.
• SynonymトラジディーWrittenBookish loanword for tragedy as a dramatic work, rare in everyday use; 「惨事」 is a tragic event in real life.
• Related災難さいなんNeutralAn unexpected piece of misfortune, as in 「とんだ災難」; 「惨事」 stresses how tragic the event is.
• Related厄やくNeutralA single character for bad luck or an unlucky year, as in 「厄払い」; 「惨事」 is a tragic event.
• Related不幸ふこうNeutralMisfortune, or the death of a loved one, as in 「不幸があった」; 「惨事」 leans toward grave accidents.
• Related破局はきょくNeutralThe collapse of a situation, or a breakup; 「惨事」 is a tragic event.
• Related天変地異てんぺんちいWrittenWritten four-character word for natural upheavals and disasters; 「惨事」 leans toward the gruesome scene.
• Related災害さいがいNeutralDisasters natural or man-made, as in 「自然災害」; 「惨事」 stresses the tragic scene.
• Related天災てんさいNeutralNatural disasters, as in 「天災は忘れた頃にやってくる」; 「惨事」 leans toward the grave outcome.
• RelatedカタストロフィーWrittenBookish loanword for a catastrophe or tragic ending, rare in daily use; 「惨事」 is a concrete tragic event.
• Related災禍さいかWrittenWritten word for harm from storms, floods or accidents; 「惨事」 leans toward the gruesome scene itself.
• Related災厄さいやくWrittenWritten word for calamity and disaster; 「惨事」 focuses on a heartbreaking event.
• Related惨害さんがいWrittenWritten word for heavy, ravaging damage, as in 「戦争の惨害」; 「惨事」 points to the event itself.
• Related変災へんさいWrittenWritten word for an unexpected accident or disaster; 「惨事」 leans toward the grave outcome.
• Related厄災やくさいWrittenWritten word for calamity and misfortune; 「惨事」 focuses on the tragic event itself.
• Related凶変きょうへんWrittenWritten word for ominous events such as an assassination; 「惨事」 stresses the tragic result.
• Related大厄たいやくWrittenWritten word for a great calamity or the worst of the unlucky years; 「惨事」 leans toward concrete events.
• Related大難だいなんWrittenWritten word for a great disaster; 「惨事」 leans toward a concrete, grave event.
• Related禍事まがごとWrittenArchaic word for calamity, also ill-omened words; 「惨事」 is a tragic event.
• Related大災たいさいWrittenWritten word for great disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis; 「惨事」 leans toward the gruesome scene.
• Related奇禍きかWrittenWritten word for a sudden, unforeseen calamity, as in 「奇禍に遭う」; 「惨事」 leans toward grave events.
• Antonym慶事けいじNeutralAn auspicious happy event, as in 「慶事が続く」; the opposite of 「惨事」 in sorrow versus joy.
• Antonym喜事NeutralA joyous, congratulatory event; the opposite of 「惨事」 in the tragic-versus-festive contrast.

Use 「惨事」 for a gruesome, heartbreaking event, as in 「大惨事」 or 「惨事を招く」. For tragedy as drama or misfortune choose 「悲劇」, for a horrifically dramatic event 「惨劇」, for natural or man-made disasters 「災害」, and for an unexpected stroke of bad luck 「災難」. The many written alternatives (「災禍」「災厄」「惨禍」 etc.) suit formal prose, while 「不幸」 covers general misfortune and 「破局」 a collapse or breakup. The opposites are the happy events 「喜事」 and 「慶事」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 惨むごたらしく、痛いたましい出来事できごと。